Waihuka Shark Dive operator charged with attempted murder?

[adjuster-jd]

I just read an online article saying that one of the operators of the Waihuka shark dive operation was charged with attempted murder for attacking another dive operator (Willie De Beer) and trying to turn off his air during a shark dive.

Anyone know the status of this case?

 

[John_B]

Source?

 

[Hawk]

Try here : CDNN :: Roatan Shark Feeder Charged with Attempted Murder

or here : Bay Islands Voice - News on Roatan, Utila & Guanaja

 

[ScubaSteve]

Since CDNN has now been mentioned, I would suggest taking everything with a huge barrel of salt since they are widely known to publish garbage and outright lies.

The other source I am not sure of, but I would tend to steer clear until a more reputable source has published something (or hopefully someone from the island will come onto SB and confirm it)

EDIT

following a group of Waihuka clients who were already there. Mirabella saw the group coming and attempted to shut the diver's oxygen tank off. An underwater scuffle ensued between Mirabella and DeBeer

That right there tell's me that this is not something that I would necessarily trust at this point - not exactly quality journalism. The above quote comes from the Bay Islands Voice article.

 

[Doc]

Anyone know the status of this case?

Yes, it took a month and a half to get onto SCUBA Board.

Since CDNN has now been mentioned, I would suggest taking everything with a huge barrel of salt since they are widely known to publish garbage and outright lies.

But CDNN does it with such eloquent and flowery words....

".... A shark feeding profiteer in Roatan has been charged with attempted murder....sells shark feeding dives to thrill-seeking tourists, allegedly attacked ..... apparently attempting to prevent a competing dive operator from profiting off of "his sharks", tried to shut off DeBeer's air supply..... but the two PADI scuba diving instructors continued to scuffle as horrified scuba diving tourists looked on in shock and disbelief.
DeBeer survived the violent attack and reported the incident....
Despite aggressive and often deceitful pro-shark feeding campaigns by several U.S. dive industry marketing behemoths including PADI, DEMA and Scuba Diving Magazine, shark feeding has been banned..... destinations where authorities have failed to act, tourists participating in shark feeding and shark baiting dives have been injured and killed.

British agent with bad teeth

Bad guys recognizable because of eye patch

The above are file photos and are representative of the incident that may or may not have occurred.

In 2008, Austrian attorney Marcus Groh died after he was attacked by a shark while scuba diving with Jim Abernethy, a notorious Florida shark feeding profiteer who avoids prosecution by taking tourists and shark photo touts from his Florida base to the Bahamas where harassing sharks is still legal.... and nearly killed shark rodeo performer Erich Ritter at Walker's Cay, a dive industry-endorsed shark feeding site often green-washed as a "shark conservation and education center" by both American and UK dive industry-controlled scuba diving magazines..... and a world authority on sharks, said there have been more than two dozen injuries involving shark-feeding dives.
"

And that, from the National Enquirer of the dive world. He doesn't really hate DEMA, PADI, the magazines and the other big players- it's just that you have to hang your hat someplace, and taking the dislike for established industry giants is an old familiar editorial stance. This perspective in SCUBA was available, thus you have a niche for CDNN. As far as up to date and timely? No, CDNN was about 45 days behind the incident.

Back to the incident: No excuse for that behavior, but I'll bet there's more to this story which likely had been simmering for a long time...

As in: How is it that Sueno del Mar was diving this single mooring at the obvious and standardized regular time slot of Wiahuka Shark Dives?

Sketch provided by editorial cartoon department of BIV

Bay Islands Voice version:" Tritto explains that over the years, some dive instructors, oftentimes working without their dive shop's knowledge or approval, would bring a group of dive clients to piggy-back on the Waihuka's group.

In one such incident on January 14, dive instructor Willie DeBeer took a group of Sueño del Mar tourists to the shark site, following a group of Waihuka clients who were already there. Mirabella saw the group coming and attempted to shut the diver's oxygen tank off. An underwater scuffle ensued between Mirabella and DeBeer, and charges of attempted murder were filed with the Roatan fiscal office."

Oxygen tanks. They'll screw you up every time.

These scooters are for rent at Mahogany Bay

Maybe I'm jaded, but it sounds like it made a rather boring dive kind of cool.

 

[ScubaSteve]

:lol:

Yeah it does sound like it made for a more interesting dive. I will still sit on the side of then fence that says I will believe it when it hits CNN, MSNBC and ABC....not that they do not lie...it is just that they lie less .

 

[UTLgirl]

From Cocochat:

rtbdiver

Registered: 05/10/06
Posts: 15
Yesterday at 02:49 PM #7

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About 2 weeks I was told Maurilio had been arrested. He is out of jail but has to report to the Police in Coxen's Hole every Friday.

Here is what I learned:

He had "attacked" some other divers. My source couldn't say what constituted the "attack".

However, one of the person or persons "attacked" went to the Fiscalia and filed charges of attempted murder. The Fiscalia investigated and Maurilio was arrested.

That person or persons are pressing the charges, not the Honduran Police.

Apparently, among other things the incident was captured on video.

FYI: The Fiscalia is more or less equivalent to the District Attorney's Office in the USA.

This information is all second and third hand hearsay, so take it for what it is worth....hearsay.
__________________
Doc Radawski

 

[ScubaSteve]

Apparently, among other things the incident was captured on video.

Thanks UTLgirl.

Off to you tube we go.......Maybe this confirms something but when I see second and third hand information, I remain somewhat leary. I think it is probably safe to say that something happened and people got upset with other people. Attempted murder? Turn off Oxygen tanks? I suppose we will have to wait and see what the truth is.

 

[mrlipis]

I was in Roatan when this happened and heard the story. (2nd hand) but due to the source I felt that the story was accurate. I have been watching the board here to see if anything was posted on the incident. I sure the hell didn't want to report it.

This quote here is similar to the story I heard except that I heard the Wihuka operator followed the boat out. I also heard that originally Willie DeBeer was arrested as the two were literally in a fight underwater. In any case, crazy story all the way around. I do believe this incident took place. As far as the details, I would be curious to hear from someone on the dive.

In one such incident on January 14, dive instructor Willie DeBeer took a group of Sueño del Mar tourists to the shark site, following a group of Waihuka clients who were already there. Mirabella saw the group coming and attempted to shut the diver's oxygen tank off. An underwater scuffle ensued between Mirabella and DeBeer, and charges of attempted murder were filed with the Roatan fiscal office.

Bruce

 

[Ayisha]

I just did the shark encounter with Waihuka less than a week ago. They have their own videographer filming the whole time, so it may have been on video. People who were on that dive (and probably saw the incident, of course) may have seen that incident on the unedited video they show the customers right after the dive. It would likely have been edited out of the edited video the customers received, though, but it may still exist.

Also, many of the customers have their own photos and video of the shark encounter, so it is likely that footage exists of the incident - somewhere.